I'd Rather Be In Love
by pretty grave
Summary: There's only one thing standing between Maggie and her feelings for Bianca: Lena Kundera. And she is determined to get through to her best friend. [BM]
1. one: barely breathing

All of Pine Valley slept.

... And yet, Maggie Stone was awake.

The twenty-three year old leaned against the brick wall of a nondescript alleyway and without thinking, slid down so her little derriere rested against the cold concrete. Streetlights from outside of the back street gave the ground a slightly lustrous look and Maggie found herself staring at it. The black only served as a reminder of the dark hole where her heart, her everything used to be and now it was empty, void, topping it all off with a small pang of regret. She reached out to Bianca Montgomery with unexperienced hands only to feel the sharp pain of rejection in return. Maggie couldn't help but blame herself. Of course Bianca wouldn't wait for her. She was absolutely crazy for thinking so. And as much as Maggie didn't want to admit it, there was a light in Bianca's chocolate eyes whenever the tall vixen currently named Lena Kundera was around. A light that she could never give to Bianca. A light which she tried to give Bianca, but only had the taller girl extinguish in return.

She hated Lena Kundera.

Maggie's right hand instinctively buried itself into the smooth pocket of her cargo pants and emerged with a half-full pack of Camel cigarettes. She wasn't the typical one to smoke, and usually condemned the thought of ever doing so. Maggie knew all too well that the habit was dangerously addictive and at the same time incredibly juvenile and stupid, but when the warmth and smell of the tobacco infiltrated her nostrils and the heat of the smoke drifted down her throat, it comforted her. In an odd sort of way. She frowned when she realized that Bianca would mostly likely have scolded her for her new found hobby. In actuality, Maggie never wanted to use cigarettes to help calm her, to help blow all of her stress away. She didn't want to put the cigarettes to use in her body, but she couldn't control everything. It took her a few years to realize that.

Maybe she could have stopped. Maybe she could put an end to this entire pile of bullshit called her life right now.

But then she could never have Bianca. And she would much rather keep trying to capture her best friend's heart than end it all right here, right now. Even if chasing after the taller girl would lead her to her inevitable grave.

Addictions were hard to shrug off.

_I love you, Maggie. But I'm commited to Lena_.

Like that's what she wanted to hear. Way to ruin the moment, Binks. Maggie, with accurate precision, took the cigarette and poised it between her lips. She could feel the hard bricks of the wall press against her the back of her head when she rolled her head back, but she didn't care. To tell the truth, she didn't care about much anymore. If she didn't have Bianca, she didn't want anything at all.

Maggie snickered to herself when she realized how silly she must look with an unused cigarette dangling helplessly from between her lips. It would have made Bianca laugh, if she was okay with the fact that Maggie smoked. No, Mags. Don't think about her. Tearing herself away from the thoughts that were currently assaulting her, Maggie looked around and for the first time that night, noticed that the alleyway that she had retired to a couple of hours before was anything but nondescript. A closed, blue dumpster to her left, though the coloring was rather dark and eery in the night's lacklusture illumination. Water droplets descending from a slanted origin above her, forming stagnant puddles of moisture on the asphalted ground. Maggie's eyes continued to nonchalantly search, her sight halting on the corners where trash and filth were piled on top of each other.

She tried to find something less gray than she already felt.

Something more miserable than she already felt.

She found nothing. There couldn't possibly be a single thing that felt more useless and emotionally abused than she did at that moment. ''What am I here for?'' Maggie whispered more to the night than to herself. No one answered, and she didn't expect anyone to. But she kept wondering anyway. Why am I here? Why? She kept asking herself several times as she sat for hours - not just in this alley, but everywhere. School, at the apartment, even the little places. Of course, the same question had two answers.

Maggie was here, in this alleyway, for the same reason she had taken up smoking. Stress. Anger. The typical excuses.

But Maggie Stone wasn't stupid. She knew that throwing herself a pity party and only inviting herself would be the death of her. Plus, who would she share the black and white ''MAGGIE SUCKS'' balloons with? This thought seemed to comfort the shorter girl as she stood up from the concrete, the skin of her palms aiding her to stand to her feet. She wobbled a bit; she'd been at the same spot for some time now. There was no doubt in her mind that Bianca wasn't worried about her, and she hated herself for being so selfish once again. Even though Bianca's rejection was a shock for her, Maggie could tell that the darker haired girl still genuinely cared for her with all of her heart, and Maggie simply refused to let Lena Kundera get in the way of their friendship.

But she didn't have any problem getting in the way of Lena and Bianca's relationship.

Maggie smiled as she headed back to the apartment, flicking the unused cigarette to the ground.

* * *

All of Pine Valley slept.

... And yet, Bianca Montgomery was also awake.

So was Lena Kundera. But who really cares.

Bianca was worried. In fact, if she were any more worried, she was sure that she would pick up the phone off of its reciever and dial 911 as fast as she could in order to file a missing persons report. Hi, Bianca Montgomery here. Yes, Erica's daughter. I would like to officially declare that my best friend in the whole wide friggin' universe is nowhere to be seen because of me, and I'm so angry with myself right now that I can hurl myself out of this window and plunge into the darkness. Lena had been continually reassuring her that Maggie was perfectly okay, and Bianca was getting sick of it. She wanted Lena to shut up and go find something else to do other than sit here and rub her back and tell her that everything was going to be okay. Because Bianca knew that was far, far away from the truth. Too far for anything in the world to be just 'okay.'  
Maggie left the apartment about six hours ago after Lena had come in to visit Bianca. A normal thing for Maggie to do, Bianca summarized, but her best friend usually left a hint to where she was going to be. Or, at least, came up with a feasible excuse. Last time it was the library, and the time before that was because she had to get to a class. But there was no explanation this time. There was no explanation why it was three o'clock in the morning and Maggie Stone was still not home. And more importantly, Maggie Stone was still not home _with her_.

Lena was pacing around the room silently, clutching a glass of water in her hand. Bianca was sure if she continued doing so, her girlfriend would leave a permanent dent in the carpet. She wanted to reach foward and grab Lena and shove her onto the couch so she could prevent such critical damage to her and Maggie's apartment, but she was almost positive that she didn't want to disturb Lena. Lena was thinking. Bianca could tell because she has a way about her. Her teeth clench down on her lower lip and her tongue presses desperately into the side of her cheek.

So, instead, Bianca asked her patiently. ''Lena, please. If you keep pacing you are going to ruin the carpet. Sit down.''

Lena looked up at Bianca and stopped, suddenly realized that she was basically walking a marathon without the miles on her girlfriend's carpet. Softly smiling, she headed over to the couch where she settled down next to Bianca.

''I'm sorry, my lahv. I am just worried about Maggie.''

Lena nodded reassuringly, but knew that was far from the truth. The taller woman was more interested in the fact that Maggie might have fallen off of the earth. To be completely frank, Lena had never been all too jovial about the lasting friendship between Bianca and Maggie. She knew that Maggie wanted more from her girlfriend; she could tell by the glazed look in her eyes when she looked at Lena and Bianca together. Together, as one. Just her and Bianca. And there was no way that she would allow Maggie Stone to ruin such a beautiful thing.

''She's okay, Lena. I know she is,'' Bianca said, leaning back into the couch in an attempt to get more comfortable.

''I know too, lahv. I know too,'' Lena reassured once more, wrapping a slender arm around the shoulders of Bianca. Sinister as the thought was, she hoped she didn't know. She hoped Maggie was gone, and out of the way of her relationship with Bianca.

''Do you?'' Bianca asked, touched that Lena recognized the importance of her friendship with Maggie.

Lena simply nodded at Bianca. ''Of course. Maggie is not stupid. Sure, she can be stubborn and selfish at times, but she is not stupid. She will return to you.''

Bianca almost smiled at what Lena said, until she realized the two insults that her girlfriend had included in the midst of comforting her. ''Lena, Maggie is not selfish. She can be stubborn, but she is not selfish.''

The other woman looked at Bianca incredulously. ''Are you telling me that Maggie is not selfish for what she did to you tonight? Leaving you here so helplessly while you continue to fret over her whereabouts? Tell me you are surely kidding.''

It was Bianca's turn to look incredulous. She stood up from the couch and away from Lena, crossing her arms over her chest. ''I'm far from kidding, Lena. If you want to insult my best friend, do it somewhere else. Because I will not tolerate it here, and I certainly won't listen to your petty accusations.''

Lena stood up from the couch as well, staring at Bianca with puppy dog eyes. ''Bianca, I'm deeply sorry. It's just that I can't help but feel this is all Maggie's wrong doing.''

The incredulous look did not leave Bianca's face. She absolutely couldn't believe that she was hearing this, and more precisely, from her girlfriend. She couldn't take it anymore.

''Lena, I think it would be best if you left.''

Lena gazed at Bianca, her mouth agape. ''No, Bianca. I ref--''

Bianca cut her off without a single trace of hesitation. ''I said leave, Lena.''

Lena, looking like a deer in headlights, finally recognized her girlfriend's wishes. Turning without a single word, she grabbed her coat off of the coat rack and slipped it around her shoulders. She looked back over her shoulder to Bianca only once, looking at her sympathetically, before heading off into the hallway.

Bianca, meanwhile, sunk down into the couch, continuing to wonder where exactly could her best friend be.

* * *

The darkness engulfing her had grown strangely comforting. A contentment was formed earlier, simply from basking in the darkness and letting the shadows collect around her. Maggie stood outside of the apartment building, another cigarette suspended between her lips. This time the white cylinder was aflame, the tip red and hot from the lighter she used. With each puff of the precarious smoke a memory of Frankie came running into her mind. Her twin sister was always the troublesome one, with her drugs, cigarettes, and inkling for breaking the law included. Never in a million years would Maggie have imagined that she would end up just like her sister had. Well, not yet, considering that she demanded to be at least fifty feet away from drugs and had only broken the law once the time she sped ten miles over the limit when trying to get to class.

_It feels like I've been thrown into the deep end and I don't know how to swim._

The time when she sped ten miles over the limit was after was after her talk with Bianca. _I'm commited to Lena. Commited. Lena_. The words kept ebbing through her mind, never letting her forget that her best friend had chosen Lena Kundera over her. Maggie laughed bitterly. Before her life ended, Bianca Montgomery was going to drive her to the brink of insanity. If she wasn't already there.

Maggie's dark eyes look up to the sky, which is woven with the diamond-like stars twinkling in the silver wash of the moonlight.

''You guys are beautiful, you know? I wish I could be that solitary. That.. that, bright. So bright,'' Maggie whispered to herself, lowering the cigarette from her mouth so the smoke wouldn't get in the way of her viewing. A silent flash of lightning suddenly lit up the sky, tearing the darkness violently and causing the petite Stone girl to flinch. Maggie aimlessly tilted her head to look down at the hard asphalt below her, taking in its glow from the illumination suspending in from above, before casting her glance back to the sky.

''You melt. You blend. If I had the freedom to do that. Wow.''

Maggie paused.

''I hope you guys don't lead me in the wrong direction.''

Taking a long drag from the cigarette, Maggie sighed. She concluded that she should probably head in, considering that Bianca was most likely sending a thousand search crews out for her. After tossing the cigarette to the ground and grinding it down in the concrete with her boot, Maggie turned around to head into the apartment. But she bumped into something along her way. Or, rather someone. Someone too freakishly tall and thin. Maggie knew who it was once she smelled the perfume, that sickenly perfume that had the slightest scent of a cornflower. Somehow, she knew that the woman who she would rather push off of the face of the earth than anything else had heard her secret conversation with the stars above.

''You know, Bianca hates the smell of smoke.''

Maggie wanted to puke. She hated that voice and even worse, she hated that accent. God, she hated everything about her. What't so special about her anyway, Binks? Why did you pick this abnormally skinny and unusually tall thing over me? What can she provide that I can't? Maggie asked these questions to herself each and every single day, trying to pinpoint the reason why Binks was so infatuated with Lena. There was no point, however, because it was nearly impossible for Maggie to pick out something positive about the taller woman. Nearly? No. Make that clearly.

The blonde looked up from the ground to be unfortunately greeted by the snarled face of Lena Kundera. Ah, the most beautiful sight ever, Maggie quietly roused to herself, which led her to smirk lightly. This didn't go unnoticed by Lena, who was prowling over Maggie like a lion does to its pray. Suddenly Maggie didn't feel all too powerful.

''What are you smirking for, Maggie? Do you even know that Bianca is up there in your apartment, worrying her head off? Do you not care?''

Maggie rolled her off. If only the clueless idiot before her knew how much she did care. Gazing at Lena with as much venom in her eyes as the taller woman had, Maggie simply scoffed.

''Do you not know what a tic tac is? Because, let me tell you. You need to chug a few down right now.''

Lena felt a growl in her throat, but didn't let it bellow out as she watched Maggie dig into one of the many pockets of her cargo pants, obviously fishing for something. After a few moments of struggling, Maggie triumphantly pulled out a pack of Winterfresh gum and threw one of the seven sticks she had to spare at Lena's face. It hit Lena square in the nose, which only made the woman more infuriated than she already was.

''Sorry, ran out of tic tacs. Winterfresh is second in line for fresh breath, though.''

As Lena started to retort, Maggie held her hands up and offered her a simple smile. ''No need to thank me, Lena. Anything for a friend.''

And as simple as that, the blonde disappeared into the building in front of them, her smile growing even wider. Lena, meanwhile, was not smiling. She was undecidely not smiling. She turned around and watched Maggie dissipate into the apartment hallways. Grabbing the stick of gum and bending it in half, Lena let out that growl that she had been holding in.

''You'll regret that you ever did that to me, Maggie Stone.''

Lena threw the stick of gum to the ground carelessly and whirled around, heading towards her car while muttering to herself.

''You'll pay.''

* * *

Maggie hesitated outside of the closed door. Should she go in and burst into tears in her best friend's arms and confide in her about some wild story where she got kidnapped by apes and then proceeded to almost being abducted to Neptune, or nonchalantly stride into the apartment without a word and head into the kitchen for a four o'clock in the morning snack? She was trying to decide whether a banana or a cup of soup would best settle her stomach so early in the day when Bianca flung open the door, an exasperated expression dancing over her beautiful face. No, Maggie, she reminded herself once more. Don't let her looks taint you.

''Mags, where have you been?! I've been worried sick about you!''

It was too late. Maggie was about ready to fall to her knees and grovel for Bianca's forgiveness. Instead, she simply shrugged her shoulders and brushed her way past Bianca into the apartment, plopping onto the couch with a large and resounding thud. Bianca, shutting the door behind her, went over and sat next to her best friend.

''I guess Lena was right, then,'' Maggie said, deliberately ignoring Bianca's inquiry.

Bianca looked dubiously confused. ''About what?''

Maggie looked up from the carpet, which had a noticeable dent in it. She was trying to remember if that was there before when she suddenly realized that Bianca expected an answer. ''Nothing. I just ran into her outside of the building. She told me that you were worrying your head off. And I'm sorry to tear us both out of the current subject, but what the hell happened to our carpet?''

Bianca couldn't help but laugh, while Maggie looked at her, completely befuddled. ''Lena. She was pacing so much, worrying about you. I thought she would accidently walk right out that window if she didn't stop.''

Snickering, Maggie shook her head, not believing that Lena could be so tricky and manipulative with her best friend. Lena, worried about her? As if. Bianca noticed Maggie's snicker and raised an eyebrow at her best friend.

''What, Mags? Does the thought of Lena falling out of a window amuse you that much?'' Bianca asked, letting a small grin curl her lips to let Maggie know she was only kidding.

''It does, actually,'' Maggie replied, suddenly not wanting to talk anymore as she raised herself from the couch, taking a moment to let loose the crooks in her neck before looking down at Bianca again. ''If you don't mind, Binks, I think I'm going to go get some sleep. Been a long night and stuff.''

Bianca also noticed the whiff of tobacco attacking her nostrils when Maggie stood. She recognized it from spending so much time with Frankie, who had smoked religiously. She would have to ask about that later, considering that the heavy bags beneath Maggie's eyes were starting to make her uncomfortable. Not knowing what else to do, Bianca simply nodded and took Maggie's hand in her own, enveloping the smaller girl's limb.

''Of course I don't, Mags. Just know that I'm here to talk whenever you need me.''

The shorter girl smiled softly, and couldn't resist the temptation of pulling Bianca's hands to her lips and kissing the gentle flesh. ''I know, Binks. Thank you.''

''Don't mention it,'' Bianca whispered, while Maggie headed into the bathroom to freshen up. In the morning, she was going to have a long talk with one Maggie Stone. But for now, she'd simply have to wonder what was wrong with her best friend and why she wasn't telling her anything about it.


	2. two: on a high

It was ten o'clock in the morning and Bianca Montgomery stood in her kitchen, eyes intently focused on an open carton of eggs laying on the counter. The woman selected one of the unfortunate white ovals and raised it so it was at eye-level.

Her enemy.

Bianca's nose curled into a menacing sneer as a look of sheer determination ran its way across her face. ''I will cook you,'' Bianca threatened the helpless egg as if she were an FBI agent towering over some troublesome teenager. In fact, if the egg wasn't an inanimate object, Bianca was sure that it would be cowering in fear. This thought seemed to comfort Bianca as she cracked the egg's shell against the edge of the counter and poured its content into a large bowl that she had set out earlier.

As she then proceeded to crack the rest of the eggs, Bianca continued talking. ''And I'll cook you good. No burning, no overdoing it. Mags and I will finally have a homecooked breakfast that doesn't consist of Tony the Tiger.''

Although she sincerely doubted so. The two best friends rarely shared a breakfast that didn't include a gallon of milk and a box of cereal. Maggie never got up early enough to cook breakfast, and if she did, she settled for cereal anyway. Bianca was a Kane woman; that fact alone should speak enough volume about her ability behind a stove. The Kane women weren't exactly graceful with the delicate art of cooking, and would be more subject to producing a heap of burned meat rather than an extravagant and lush meal.

However, this morning was different. And you want to know why? Of course you do. Because Bianca was determined. Confident, even. And whenever Bianca Montgomery is either determined, confident, or even both, pray your little heart out child, because nothing ever gets in her way. She's proved it time and time again, and wouldn't have any trouble doing so with a carton of eggs. Eggs, Bianca snickered. She can cook eggs. What could possibly go wrong? Completing the task of whipping the yolk, Bianca tossed the whipping tool into the sink and turned the bowl over while it was suspended over the pan, the liquid oozing slowly onto the surface. Yeah, she can cook eggs. Bianca picked up the spoon which previously rested on the counter and began weaving it through the yolk, allowing herself to get lost in her thoughts.

Concurrently, there were other things she was determined and confident enough about. Things like Maggie, and things like Lena, but those things like Lena could wait. Maggie was her numero uno concern. What was up with her best friend? She needed to know, because otherwise, she wouldn't know how to help. Why was Maggie avoiding her? Why does Maggie rarely ever make eye contact with her anymore? Why did she smell cigarettes on her last night? Are her eggs on fire? Dearest Lord, her eggs are on fire.

Maggie was in the middle of a dream when an annoying buzzing interrupted her bliss. Groaning in her sleep, Maggie rolled over onto her stomach and placed the extra pillow over her head, hoping to block out whatever that irritating siren was. It didn't help, the buzzing becoming increasingly louder and forcing Maggie to come to the realization that her dream about becoming the Queen of England and ruling the world with an iron fist was indeed no more.

Rolling towards the edge of her bed, Maggie stood with an exhausted moan. The sheets were still tangled in a web around her ankles as she balanced precariously between standing upright and falling face first onto the floor. After a moment or two, Maggie managed to free herself of her restraints and stumble towards her bedroom door, the buzzing now becoming all too easy to recognize.

The smoke alarm.

''Bi-an-caaa,'' she moaned with exasperation. Throwing her bedroom door open without much effort, Maggie hung in the doorway, allowing herself to register the sight before her. Bianca, desperately waving her hands around in the smoke billowing out from the stovetop while a pan on said stovetop nursed a small fire.

Maggie decided to step in before the fire grew, but not without some grade-A scolding. ''Binks! How many times have I told you, no cooking when I'm not around!'' She managed to yell over the increasing smoke as she headed towards the sink, grabbing a clean cup from the right side and filling it up from the faucet on the left. Bianca continued to flail her arms about and shriek in a manner that only Miss Piggy would, thinking that this would somehow help the situation at hand. Needless to say, it didn't. Maggie nearly came close to getting her head smacked off and going deaf before she was able to douce the flames with the cup of water in hand.

After the flames had settled into a wheezing nothing, Bianca shot an innocent look in Maggie's direction. Surely her puppy dog eyes would get her out of trouble this time, as they have before. However, Maggie wasn't dumb. This happened so many times that she was able to pick her way through Bianca's tactics: the Pug eyes, the large pout that made her look more guilty than she already was. Maggie simply shook a finger in Bianca's direction.

''Nuh uh, little miss. Don't pull the lost dog act on me. You know what this means, don't you?''

Bianca stared at her, continuing her innocent scene, so Maggie continued. ''Dish duty for a week. Plus, that's like … what, the third pan this month? I'm gonna have to call Progressive and see if they cover kitchen utensils.''

The taller woman heaved out a dramatic sigh. ''Oh come on, Mags,'' Bianca said, putting Maggie's nickname into use in an attempt to ease the loss of her beloved pan. ''That pan was junk, anyway.''

Maggie feigned a look of hurt. ''How dare you! That pan cost so much, and you go and destroy it.''

''Mags, you bought it from K-Mart.''

''I'm missing your point.''

Bianca laughed, enveloping her friend into a hug. ''Okay, okay,'' she said, pulling back from Maggie, but keeping her hands on the shorter woman's forearms. ''I'm sorry, Maggie. I know that you're going to need time to get over this tragedy, but please. Find it in your heart to forgive me?''

Maggie pretended to consider her friend's request, before throwing her arms up in mock annoyance. ''Fine. I'll let this one slip. But I swear, B. Next time I walk into our kitchen and the stove is on fire, I'm so calling the police on you.''

And with that, the shorter woman collapsed into one of the dining table's chairs as if she had just run the twenty mile marathon. Bianca laughed again, taking the seat across from Maggie. It was a few moments later until one of them finally spoke up, said one being Bianca with the ever so popular question, ''What's up?''

Maggie, who had been previously lost in her own thoughts about Bianca and the price of frying pans, looked up. ''I just woke up and walked into World War II. You?''

A smile didn't fail Bianca, who smacked her friend's arm playfully. ''Oh, you know. Burning stuff. The usual.''

''Don't I know it.''

Yet another silence fell upon the two best friends. Whether it was a comfortable silence or an uncomfortable one, the both of them weren't all too sure. Both were swimming in their own thoughts, and both were too hesitant to spark up the next small conversation. Bianca had quickly gone back to thinking about the night before, and how Maggie had become unconsiderably out of it the past few weeks. She couldn't help but think it had to do with her and her relationship with Lena; afterall, it shouldn't be all too suprising for her to come to such a conclusion. Maggie had been ditching her more so than she ever had before, making up an excuse each and every single time Bianca invited her to join Lena and herself for lunch. And even sans Lena. She wanted so badly to pull Maggie aside and tell her that no matter what happens with Lena, that she was and will always be her best friend.

She had a feeling that the problem was much more deeper than that, though.

On the other side of the table, Maggie was having trouble making sense of her own thoughts. One side of her was screaming at her, telling her that she was an idiot for not confessing her feelings to Bianca earlier. Now look what you did, you idiot. You lost the girl to some Polish woman with bad breath. Awesome job, Stone. You're a real winner. And then, the other side of her was congratulating her. Because, somehow, in some odd and twisted kind of way, this part of her was making her believe that Lena would only bring the two of them closer. This part of her was making her believe that Bianca would finally come to her senses and realize that she doesn't belong with Lena, but with her. And, most importantly, this part of her was making her believe that yeah, she was in love with Bianca.

Or, at least, totally in like with her. And on top of all that, she was still wondering how much money another pan would cost.

Coming to the realization that they had now been sitting mute for a few minutes, Bianca decided to speak up again. ''So, what are your plans for today?''

''Huh?'' Maggie once more looked up from the tabletop, torn away from her thoughts. Registering Bianca's question, she shrugged, grabbing the box of Cocoa Puffs which had been set out the morning before. ''Don't think I have any. Why? Scheming against me?''

Bianca smirked as she watched Maggie struggle to open the cereal. ''Nah. I was thinking, maybe we could hang out.'' She grabbed the box from the shorter woman and opened the top, before handing it back to Maggie. ''Like the old times.''

Maggie smiled her thanks in Bianca's direction, dumping some of the chocolate cereal into one of the bowls on the table. ''Jesus Binks, you make it sound like we're in our fifties,'' she grinned, retrieving the milk gallon from the fridge and shutting the door with her foot. ''But hey, it sounds like a plan to me.''

''Great,'' Bianca replied, folding her legs in the chair. She continued to watch Maggie, who was now digging into the moist cereal as if she hadn't eaten for days. She decided that her questions could wait for a later time in the day, right now she needed to focus on having a good time with her best friend. ''I was thinking the park. Picnic or something. What do you say?''

Maggie looked up, chewing the cereal in her mouth before answering. ''Let's do it.''

* * *

Meanwhile, on the other side of Pine Valley, an abnormally tall woman with a crooked nose sat behind a large desk, engrossed in a phone conversation. She held the reciever to her ear while throwing darts at a dart board which hung on the wall, in true villain fashion. Now all she needed was a cape.

''Did you get it?'' The woman asked, flinching when one of the darts accidentally hit the wall instead of the board.

''I got it,'' the voice on the other end of the line replied. This voice was more masculine, but still had a little squeak to it, as if it were nervous.

''The right amount?''

''The right amount.''

''And you remember where you're going to drop it off?''

''I remember where I'm going to drop it off.''

''Can you say anything other than restating my questions?''

''I can say anything other than restat-- hey.''

''I'm warning you right now, AC. If you're late, you're gone. Understood?''

The already squeaky voice seemed to quiver even more. ''Understood.''

''You're doing it again.''

''What?''

''Restating my questions.''

''Sorry.''

''Huh. I'll see you there.''

And with that, the abnormally tall woman with the crooked nose hung up the phone, and proceeded to throw a dart square into its intended target. A small but equally evil laugh bubbled out of her lips as she stood up from her leather chair, eyeing the dart board with triumph.

''Goodbye, Maggie.''


	3. three: all these things you stole

The Pine Valley sunshine radiated off of Maggie's skin as she wove her way through the crowd. It was a beautiful day out and Maggie was silently congratulating herself for opting to go with a skirt instead of her trustworthy pair of jeans; if she indeed had chosen the latter choice, Maggie was positive that she would have been sweating like a pig in Texas. There was, however, just the slightest bit of breeze outside, which caused Maggie's bangs to fall into her eyes as she tried to find her way back to Bianca. Maggie had left her best friend a couple of minutes ago in search of some popsicles, seizing the first opportunity to get away from Bianca in that short skirt, Dear Lord, Maggie thought to herself, the girl has killer legs. _So long, so shapely. I wonder what they feel like. I mean, they look so smooth. So toned. So.._

"God, snap out of it! What are you, a teenage boy?" Maggie quietly berated herself. How was she going to get through the entire day with Bianca in her skirt of hers without ripping off her clothes and ravaging her right then and there? Easy. Stop thinking about her. Except, not so easy. Bianca's legs kept popping up in her mind, like an incessant bug who refused to just go away. Bianca's legs refused to just go away.

Maggie sighed, frustrated with her own hormones. "Okay, Maggie. Get a hold of yourself. Remember, she burned your pan. You can't think about her legs, it's like.. betraying your pan," Maggie nodded firmly, coming to a final conclusion that this was of the best way to ignore Bianca's legs. "Remember the pan, Maggie. Remember the pan."

On the other side of the park, girl with killer legs relaxed on the blanket that Maggie had laid out previously. Bianca leaned back on her elbows while her legs crossed one over the other, while she watched the sky hanging above her. There were a million things running through her head and as much as she wanted to cease thinking and enjoy her day with Maggie, Bianca couldn't help it. There was Maggie, of course, and then Lena, along with Kendall, her mother, and Enchantment. Things weren't going so well at work considering Kendall and Greenlee once more found themselves at each other's throats over Ryan. At times, even Bianca was frightened by the look in Kendall's eyes as her older sister glared at Greenlee with such hatred. There was Erica, who Bianca quickly deemed clinically insane after Erica announced she wanted to become a go-go girl in Vegas while intoxicated. After that there was Lena, of course, who had became more distant than usual in the last couple of weeks. Bianca couldn't help but let her curious side get to her and when she did ask Lena about it, Lena simply brushed it off with an excuse about work. Bianca, however, could see past it. There was something her girlfriend was hiding. That something was something that Bianca was determined to know.

And then there was one. Maggie. The smell of cigarettes was enough to have Bianca worried senseless. She didn't know what was happening with her best friend, but took Maggie's extended study breaks and excess nights spent reading at the library as a bad sign. Bianca was well aware that ever since Maggie's revelation of her true feelings that things weren't going to be the same between them, but not to this extent. She still wanted Maggie in her life. Truth be told, she didn't think she could survive without her rock of Maggie by her side, and would rather die without it.

Maggie, meanwhile, stood just a few feet away from Bianca. Bianca didn't notice her presence, however, as she was still lost in thought while gazing at the sky. Grinning mischievously, Maggie hid one of the popsicles behind her back and approached Bianca with the other still in hand.

Bianca, sensing Maggie nearby, looked away from the sky and up to her friend. She was about to ask why Maggie only held one Popsicle, but Maggie beat her to the punch.

"Binks, I know how much you love strawberry, so," Maggie gazed at the red popsicle she was holding, before locking her troublesome eyes with Bianca's, "I ate yours. Sorry," Maggie bit the top of the popsicle into her mouth, trying to keep a straight face.

Bianca nursed a look of shock, allowing her jaw to drop so far down that she had to remember to pick it up. "Maggie! You go back there and buy me another popsicle right now!"

The blonde couldn't contain herself any longer and was afraid that if she did, she was going to combust. The look on Bianca's face was simply too hard to resist. So, instead, she let out a deafening laugh while whipping Bianca's popsicle out from behind her back.

"Oh, God," Maggie managed to squeak out between laughter and tears, falling next to Bianca on the blanket. Bianca grabbed the popsicle from Maggie, shooting a death glare in her direction.

"You so should have seen your face. It was like someone told you that Manolo Blahnik ran out of business."

Bianca rolled her eyes and smacked Maggie's shoulder, which only helped Maggie's laughter grow. "You're horrible."

The shorter woman smiled sweetly as she sat in a similar state to Bianca's, watching her friend start to lick at the popsicle. "Tell me something I don't know."

Bianca once more rolled her eyes and continued to lick at the top of her popsicle, completely oblivious to the effect it was having on Maggie. Maggie was again lost in those damn hormone-induced thoughts. But this time, they weren't about Bianca's legs. Rather, Bianca's tongue. _Jesus, look at that tongue. It looks so flexible. You know what they say about flexible tongues. They're -- OH MY GOD. STOP IT, MAGGIE! PAN! PAN! REMEMBER THE PAN!_

"So," Maggie casually said, forcing herself to stop thinking about how flexible Bianca's tongue may be and enter reality once more. Unfortunately, she didn't know what to say.

"So," Bianca, obviously, found herself in a similar situation. She was too engrossed with her popsicle to form an intelligent thought.

"The weather's pretty nice out. I like it."

Lick. "Me too."

"I'm really glad that we decided to spend a day together."

Lick. "Me too."

"And I really liked that popsicle."

Lick. "Me too."

"I have three ass cheeks."

Lick. "Me too."

Maggie raised an eyebrow curiously, eyeing Bianca with amusement. "Oh, really?"

Meanwhile, the conclusion of Bianca's popsicle snapped the taller woman back to her senses. Bianca looked at Maggie with her own curiosity shining through. "What were we talking about again?"

"Nevermind," Maggie waved off the possibility of Bianca having three ass cheeks and laid on her back, having finishing her popsicle a few minutes before Bianca. "I was just saying that I'm glad we decided to spend the day together."

Bianca smiled, which made Maggie smile as well. "Me too. I've missed you, Mags."

"Missed you more."

"Not possible."

"It so is. Seriously, I was going through Bianca withdrawals."

"Yeah? Well --," Bianca's sentence was interrupted by the timeless ringing of her cell phone. Bianca offered Maggie a sympathetic smile while Maggie nodded, signalling that it was okay with her. Bianca picked up her phone with a sigh and answered it with an equally agitated sigh.

"Hello?"

"Bianca? Am I calling at a bad time?"

Bianca had to supress a groan. "No, Lena. What is it?"

Maggie immediately tensed at the mention of Lena. She attempted to be nonchalant, though, folding her arms behind her head and looking up at the sky. _The sky looks good today. Can't Lena just leave us alone for a few hours? Oh, look at that cloud. What a nice cloud._

"Well, lahv, I was wondering if you would like to catch lunch? I know I wasn't at my best behavior last night, and I'd truly like to apologize."

Bianca frowned. Any other day she would have jumped at the opportunity to spend lunch with Lena, but today was Maggie day. And she promised herself that today, everything was going to be about Maggie. Even if doing so included turning down a lunch offer with her girlfriend. "I'm sorry, Lena. I can't."

"Oh, but why not? Are you busy?"

"I am, actually. Maggie and I are spending the afternoon in the park."

Maggie perked up at the mention of her name, but again tried to remain nonchalant. She continued to stare at the clouds and analyze what they looked like. _That one kind of looks like an elephant. The one over to the left looks like an ice cream cone. Oh, and that one definitely looks like Lena's nose._

Meanwhile, Lena wasn't perked up. She was anything but perked up. Maggie? Ugh. Maggie. She was determined to get rid of that pest once and for all. The googly eyes for Bianca needed to go. "Oh, alright. Maybe tommorow then?"

"Definitely tommorow. I'll see you then."

"Of course. Goodbye, lahv."

"Bye," Bianca hung up her phone with a resounding click and tossed it on the blanket once more. She laid down next to Maggie.

"That was Lena."

"Oh really? I couldn't tell," Maggie commented sarcastically, rolling over onto her side so she could face her best friend. Bianca did the same, shooting Maggie a playful glare.

"She wanted to know if I wanted to go to lunch with her."

"I'm guessing you said no, since you're still here. Lucky for me."

Bianca shoved Maggie's shoulder lightly, sending another glare her way. "Maybe I should go."

"Maybe."

"Nah."

The two sat in comfortable silence for a long time, watching the sky and enjoying each other's company. It was the first time in a couple of weeks that they were able to just be the old Maggie and Bianca, savoring each moment that passed by being together. Little did they know that everything was about to change.

Maggie was the first one to break the silence. "You want a hot dog?"

Bianca laughed lightly. "You're always thinking about food. Come on."

The taller woman stood up and reached one of her hands out to Maggie. Maggie clasped Bianca's hand in her own and pulled herself up. Their hands remained intertwined as they walked off, in search for a hot dog stand.

* * *

"Jesus, Greenlee," Kendall snapped with significant annoyance, "Can't you do anything right?"

The size of Greenlee's eyes tripled as she looked at her co-worker and at unusual times, her best friend. "Excuse me? What are you talking about? You're the one who placed the order."

"And you were the one who was supposed to confirm the order. I don't believe it's that hard."

"It slipped my mind."

"It slipped your mind?" Kendall continued to reprimand Greenlee, "Greenlee, we run a business. Things can't slip your mind."

"Sorry, Kendall," Greenlee retorted, sick and tired of this game. "But I have other things to worry about. Confirming your order isn't the first thing that pops to mind when I wake up in the morning."

"What is, then? Deciding the ever impossible decision of whether or not to wear lip gloss or lip stick? What color eye shadow would match your heels? Trying to figure out how to be the biggest pain in my ass?"

"I believe I'm already the biggest pain in your ass, so no, I have to leave that one."

"You're so infuriating," Kendall decided, dropping one of the filing folders she was holding onto the table.

"And you're just figuring this one out."

"Apparently. Finish the work in that folder and you can have your lunch break. I don't want to see your face for the rest of the day."

"Then stop looking at me."

"I'm not looking at you."

"You're still looking at me."

"Ugh!" Kendall proclaimed. She whipped herself around and stomped out of Greenlee's office, steam blowing out of her ears. Greenlee stared after her, smiling triumphantly. Get on Kendall's last nerve? Check.

* * *

"This is it?" Lena articulated, holding the vial of liquid in front of her. AC, the chubby man with the squeaky voice cowered in front of the much taller woman, nodding vigorously.

"That's it, Ms. Kundera. All you asked for."

"It's yellow."

"The formula usually is, Ms. Kundera."

"Will you stop calling me that?" Lena snapped, glaring at the short man in front of her. AC shook with fright, but managed to nod anyway.

"Sorry ma'am."

"Lena. Not ma'am, not Ms. Kundera. It's Lena. I thought we were on a more personal level, AC. Now start acting like it."

"Okay, Lena."

"Anyway," Lena dismissed the subject and continued to stare at the yellow liquid, turning the vial around in her hand aimlessly. "Does it work?"

"I'm pretty sure it does. I don't think he would let us down."

Lena considered AC's latest addition to the conversation before nodding in agreement. She slipped the vial into one of her coat pockets. "Good. She'll never see what hit her. And after, we can all finally get what we want."

AC smiled the most evil smile he could muster, but only sufficed a pathetic grin. He then lowered his voice in sidekick style. "Revenge."

The woman smiled as well, her dark eyes twinkling with a hint of deceit. As she began to turn around and make her way down the street, Lena stopped, and threw her head over her shoulder. "Oh, and AC?"

AC looked up from the ground. "Yes?"

"Thank Michael for me."


End file.
